What are different versions of the same genes called?

What are different versions of the same genes called?

• A. Alleles
• B. Chromosomes
• C. DNAs
• D. Genomes

Answer: (A)

Different versions of the same gene are called alleles. A gene sits at a specific location on homologous chromosomes, and the different forms it can take in a population are its alleles. These variants arise by mutation and influence traits in various ways. In a person, you can have two identical alleles (homozygous) or two different alleles (heterozygous) at that gene’s locus. Some alleles can be dominant while others are recessive, affecting how a trait is expressed. Remember that alleles are about variation at one gene’s position, whereas chromosomes are larger structures carrying many genes, DNA is the molecule that contains the genetic information, and a genome is the entire set of genetic material for an organism.

Different versions of the same gene are called alleles. A gene sits at a specific location on homologous chromosomes, and the different forms it can take in a population are its alleles. These variants arise by mutation and influence traits in various ways. In a person, you can have two identical alleles (homozygous) or two different alleles (heterozygous) at that gene’s locus. Some alleles can be dominant while others are recessive, affecting how a trait is expressed. Remember that alleles are about variation at one gene’s position, whereas chromosomes are larger structures carrying many genes, DNA is the molecule that contains the genetic information, and a genome is the entire set of genetic material for an organism.